THE STOUT-HEARTED CAT; NOT A JUVENILE

by Alexander Frey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1947

A strange and often far from pleasant story, with bits of fantasy and a far-fetched effort to capture the quality of Stuart Little. It has many of the faults of that book -- a definitely adult strain in the interpretation. It is the story of a little white cat, Birl (Thrush) that belonged to an elderly woman in central Europe whose son was reported missing. She dies, while writing one of her endless letters, and the cat stays to guard the property from the mice and rats. When George turns up, after one false start, they become devoted friends, and she is heartbroken when he goes off to make his fortune. He takes with him some white hairs from her breast, and after he has been gone for months, she traces him by those hairs, to America, and there, after various adventures, she finds him at a Fair, working as a carpenter. Her owner of the moment has turned her into a feathered cat by his magic salve, and is exhibiting her. She and George get away and return home -- and ultimately her feathers fall out and the fur begins to grow again. The cat's misadventures have almost a sadistic streak -- there's a lot of cruelty at various points of the story. One questions the average child's interest.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1947

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holt

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1947

Categories: CHILDREN'S